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Temporal Autonomy: Schedule Instability as a Threat to Perceived Dignity in the U.S. Service Sector
1Harvard Kennedy School, USA.
Social Problems
|August 26, 2025
Summary
Worker dignity is harmed by unpredictable work schedules in the service sector. Schedule instability negatively impacts perceived respect and recognition, especially for women facing work-family conflict.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Labor Economics
- Organizational Behavior
Background:
- Worker dignity is a key concern in social science research.
- Existing literature primarily focuses on traditional work models, neglecting contemporary low-wage labor market conditions like schedule instability.
- The impact of unpredictable scheduling on worker dignity remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between schedule instability and perceived worker dignity among service sector employees.
- To investigate how gender influences the relationship between schedule instability and perceived worker dignity.
- To operationalize worker dignity as perceived respect and recognition from supervisors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized individual-level survey data from 17,791 service sector workers participating in the Shift Project.
- Employed a schedule instability index to capture cumulative exposure to unpredictable scheduling practices.
- Analyzed the relationship between various just-in-time scheduling practices and perceived worker dignity, considering gender differences.
Main Results:
- Schedule instability was found to be significantly and negatively associated with perceived worker dignity across five just-in-time scheduling practices.
- A cumulative schedule instability index confirmed the negative impact on perceived respect and recognition.
- Gender differences emerged, with women experiencing more negative consequences of schedule instability on supervisor respect, partly due to work-family conflict.
Conclusions:
- Unstable work schedules in the service sector demonstrably undermine worker dignity, specifically perceived respect and recognition.
- The negative effects of schedule instability on dignity are exacerbated for women, highlighting the role of work-family conflict.
- Findings underscore the need to address scheduling practices to promote worker dignity in the modern labor market.
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